************************************************************
The annual International Arts Carnival (IAC) opened today (July 11) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Officiating at tonight's opening ceremony was the Under Secretary for Home Affairs, Ms Florence Hui.
Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the annual summer arts festival will run until August 17 and feature around 440 events for family entertainment.
The festival opened with an extravaganza of folk dance and music from the National Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia, LADO, which has been hailed as the "Dancing Museum". Around 50 dancer-vocalists and virtuoso musicians dressed in eye-catching regional costumes performed tightly co-ordinated routines with precise footwork accompanied by rarely seen musical instruments such as the samica, the gajde and the sopele, recreating a folkloric extravaganza.
The performances by LADO will also be held at 3pm and 7.30pm tomorrow (July 12) and at 3pm on July 13 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. Tickets are priced at $160, $220, $300 and $380.
Other performances in the festival line-up include multimedia theatre, drama, a concert with magic, a cappella, acrobatics, black light theatre, shadow play and puppetry, and films from around the world will also be screened.
Outreach touring programmes include "The Wish of Tap Tap" by local tap dance theatre group R&T (Rhythm & Tempo) and the music theatre production "Mozart and His Servant" by iStage. The summer fun party "Fantasy Tales Adventure", workshops, cultural tours and an exhibition are also part of the extension activities.
Tickets for the festival are priced from $40 to $380 and are available at URBTIX. Half-price tickets are available for full-time students, senior citizens, people with disabilities and their minders, and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. Booking discounts of up to 20 per cent are available for full-price performing arts/film programmes.
Programme brochures are available at URBTIX outlets or at the carnival website www.hkiac.gov.hk.
For programme enquiries, please call 2370 1044. Internet bookings can be made at www.urbtix.hk. Telephone credit card bookings can be made on 2111 5999.
Ends/Friday, July 11, 2014
Issued at HKT 20:23
NNNN
